Chancellor named fellow of National Academy of Inventors

14 Dec Chancellor named fellow of National Academy of Inventors

RICHLAND, Wash. – H. Keith Moo-Young, chancellor of Washington State University Tri-Cities, has been named a 2016 fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

He led an industry consortium research project on manufactured gas plant remediation strategies for the Electric Power Research Institute that included 15 public utilities. As a result, he shares a patent with colleagues Derick Brown and Andrew J. Coleman for a process to quantify coal tar in the environment.

He has published more than 200 research papers on solid and hazardous waste management and on fate and transport in the environment. He has secured research funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. departments of energy, education and defense, and other sources. He has contributed to environmental public policy through membership on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency science advisory board.

Election as an NAI fellow is the highest professional distinction accorded to academics whose inventions have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and welfare of society. Moo-Young’s leadership and innovation span commercialization activity in Pennsylvania, California and Washington state.

With him as chancellor, WSU Tri-Cities has grown its partnership with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for biofuels advancement and other innovative research efforts. Under his leadership, WSU Tri-Cities became home to the $23 million St. Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center.

“I am honored to be selected as part of the National Academy of Inventors,” Moo-Young said. “This opportunity also opens doors to our students, faculty and staff at WSU Tri-Cities to expand upon their own research and innovation through the academy.”

NAI Fellows have generated more than 8,500 licensed technologies and companies and created more than 1.1 million jobs, with more than $100 billion in revenue generated based on their discoveries. There are 757 NAI fellows representing 229 research universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutes.

“With each year I continue to be amazed by the caliber of individuals named as NAI fellows, and the 2016 class is no exception,” said Andrew H. Hirshfeld, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office commissioner for patents. The fellows will be inducted as part of the NAI annual conference April 6 in Boston. For a complete list of NAI fellows, visit http://Academyofinventors.org/search-fellows.asp.